Aryna Sabalenka gets real about trying to reach WTA No. 1
By Lee Vowell
Aryna Sabalenka added to her Grand Slam total in 2024 by two. She won the Australian Open in January and then the US Open in September. Her biggest rival, Iga Swiatek, took home another French Open title so she now has won five majors. The Pole also seems to have a stranglehold on the WTA No. 1 ranking.
Sabalenka found a way to take the top ranking for a short time in 2023 before Swiatek won the WTA Finals and finished as the year-end No. 1. Swiatek currently leads the Belarusian by a bit over 2,000 ranking points, but only 409 points the Race to Riyadh point totals. The difference is how the points are tallied tournament versus tournament against year over year.
One reason Swiatek keeps hold of No. 1 is that she is more consistently healthy and is better in Masters 1000 events. She has won four of them this year alone. Sabalenka missed Wimbledon due to a shoulder injury and has had some off-the-court issues to deal with this year as well, such as the sudden passing of ex-boyfriend Konstantin Koltsov in March.
Aryna Sabalenka answers question about chasing WTA No. 1 ranking
After winning the US Open, Sabalenka was asked about trying to chase down Swiatek. Her answer was that of someone who understands that one has to work hard to get what one wants, but that there are other successes besides just being No. 1.
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The Belarusian said, "I mean, I’m not trying to focus on ranking, to be honest. Not like I’m checking where I’m gonna be after the tournament. I’m just trying to focus on myself, and I know that if on each tournament I’m able to play my best tennis and I’ll be able to bring this fighting spirit on each game, I’ll be able to become world No. 1 again. So my focus is on myself, on improving myself as a player and as a person."
The good part is that Sabalenka is only 26 years old while Swiatek is 23 years old. Both players should be competing against each other for ranking and Grand Slams for the next five years at least. Sabalenka seems to be hitting the ball even harder than she used to. Her power translates extremely well to hard courts and should to grass courts as well, though she has not won Wimbledon yet.
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